You Are Not Going To Believe This!

So, there I was on the sofa, doing my taxes on my laptop PC (taxes are such a pain, even with TurboTax!!) and I get this phone call on my business phone.

Happy for any excuse to get away from the taxes for a while, I walk over to my home office and pick up and I hear this woman's voice say hello and my name. Her voice sounds so familiar. Then she introduces herself and I am shocked to realize...

It is Mary Gersten Herself Live on My Phone!

It was Mary Gersten, the VP of Global Cash Flow Network. SHE actually CALLED me, one on one, in person - live! This is amazing, because she's nearly impossible to reach normally.

You can hear her voice on my main CMPS splash page where it says "Hit Play For A Special Message." It was her voice!

I could hardly believe my ears, and was sort of in shock for the first few minutes as she started talking to me about why she was calling.

She was very polite, by the way. And yes, she knows my real name, since they have my records & everything based on my website address. (I just like to maintain a little privacy on the web, that's why I write under my nickname of Koala Bear)

Why Is Mary Gersten Calling the Little Ol' Koala Bear?

Well, apparently, my blog (and my Squidoo page, GCFN - My True Story) are high profile on the internet (when you search for GCFN or CMPS) and they've noticed my blog and actually read and follow my posts.

Amazing.

Based on some of my recent post, Mary wanted to "clear up" some "misconceptions" I have about the Ultimate Traffic System/Guaranteed Traffic Program. She also wanted to make sure I got my latest referral bonus commission check for $208.

Yes, Another Check. $208. Here's the photo!


So anyway, she basically called to explain some of the things I didn't understand about the Ultimate Traffic System, and let me know about recent upgrades that have become available since I first signed up with GCFN last year. And she let me ask a few questions. She said she only had a short time to talk before she had to get to another meeting, and we only talked for a short time. I asked her two questions (one about what happens when someone doesn't get the Ultimate Traffic System, and another about why they don't have a way to track your results...I would have asked more but I couldn't think of anything, I was sort of shocked I was actually talking to her like this).

The "TRUTH" About The Ultimate Traffic System (UTS)

One of the first things Mary Gersten wanted to explain to me was that they've made some changes to how they "sell" the Ultimate Traffic System (UTS). When I signed up, the Level I coaches "overemphasized" the "guaranteed traffic" aspect of the system.

But, according to Mary Gersten, the "guaranteed traffic" isn't the main point of the system. The UTS is really an added training package (on top of the $300 basic CMPS training package) that comes with extra bonus trainings and the "black binder" of information that helps you learn how to generate massive traffic yourself on the web.

My take: Mary's explanation made a lot of sense. She was sincere and trying to help clear up any confusion I've had (and that I am spreading via this blog...) I've felt for a while that this whole CMPS thing is great as a LEARNING EXPERIENCE and TRAINING COURSE, but the conversion rate of those guaranteed visitors to buyers was a percent or less. And that's basically what Mary was telling me. The real value of the Ultimate Traffic System isn't intended to be in the thousands of visitors they will give me, but rather in the extensive training provided about generating your own targeted traffic.

You have to remember, this is a "certification" program, not a "make money fast" program.

Apparently, the ONLY way to get the special training about generating massive web traffic for your business is by ordering the Ultimate Traffic System.

IF you don't get the UTS, you won't receive the black binder or get access to a several of the online "surprise" bonuses.

I knew you wouldn't get the black binder if you didn't get the Ultimate Traffic System, but I didn't realize that some of the best "unannounced" bonus internet marketing courses that I've been studying only come to you if you sign up for the Ultimate Traffic System. Those "unannounced bonuses" are among the most beneficial things I've been studying as a CMPS student!

UTS Delivers Double Commissions

Regular students who sign up for the CMPS program but don't get the UTS will only receive a 10% commission. Mary told me that when a CMPS student also signs up for the UTS, they actually receive a 20% commission on every referral. I've actually been getting 20% commissions, not 10%. This is the only way to get a 20% referral commission as a CMPS student.

Obviously signing up for the UTS can make a big different to your earnings.

Other Interesting Program Improvements: Improved Tracking Option

Among the recent changes and upgrades to the CMPS program since I first signed up is an ability to have multiple phone number extensions to allow you to track your results against different types of advertising methods. I plan to get that upgrade, and will let you know more about it in future posts.

The reason they don't have a more straightforward tracking mechanism (like what Clickbank.com uses) is that the phone number and extension are on all your advertising...so if you just used a web "tag" or "cookie" type of tracking system, you wouldn't really be capturing all the responses to your ads. Many people call in before signing up, and there's no easy way to track where people got the phone number and extension when they call in.

But by offering this upgrade where you get multiple phone extensions, you can actually target specific advertising to specific phone extensions, and in that way you'll track nearly everything.

It's not perfect, but it sounds sufficient for what I'm looking for. And it's a massive improvement over not knowing ANYTHING about which traffic is converting (which is where I am now without this upgrade).

Radio and TV Advertising Too?

Mary also mentioned something about their including TV and Radio ads as part of the program now, for Ultimate Traffic System buyers. That sounded really cool, though she didn't explain it in any detail. Hopefully I'll get a chance to learn more about it. If/when I do, I'll let you know.

That's all I have time to write tonight. But it's been a really interesting night!

Shocking $951 Check Received from Global Cash Flow Network

Last week I received a check from GCFN for $951.00! Signed by Mary Gersten!
I actually received a $50 check several weeks before this, but didn't think it was worth mentioning (I just didn't have time to photograph and post it).

If I've done the math properly, this brings my total "earnings" so far from promoting GCFN with web-based advertising and postcards to about $2800. I spent over $5000 total to enter the Certified Media Placement Specialist program, so I haven't broken even yet. I've got to make about $2300 more to break even. (Actually, it's probably more than that if I take account of postage spent on postcards. I'll try to add that up and mention the actual numbers in my next post. I do most of these blog entries without looking up my detailed accounting records).

I've actually been slacking on the postcards. Postage costs 26 cents per postcard. If you mail 500, that's $130. I plan to try it again based on this latest check, but I'm beginning to wonder if web-based marketing is more cost-effective for me.

The sad thing is, right now there's no way for me to know whether it's postcards or something else that is working.

Does Anyone Know What Is Working ?

Although I still have some concerns about the way the GCFN sales process is hype-intensive, I am definitely on board with this as a way to make some money on the side! The CMPS program is a legitimate training opportunity with real income possibilities as far as I can tell! You just have to stick with it, look at it as a training/certification program (not a pure money-making machine) and keep trying different things until something works. A bit hit or miss, but that's honestly all I've been doing so far.

Apparently my advertising is working now that I fixed my problem with domain-masking (see my Feb post about that). I've mostly been using some super-cheap pay-per-click type advertising (using very narrow, focused keywords that gives me a few dozen hits a week), plus Squidoo, this blog, and free advertising on TrafficSwarm and TopSurfer.

But the thing that really bothers me is that I have no way to actually track WHICH advertising is working.

Every advertisement is just a shot in the dark. That's not a 21st century approach to marketing!

Internet Marketing Training

Since I started with the CMPS program, I've been getting internet marketing trainings from Joshua Shafran and others (I get Josh Shafran's "3 comma club newsletter" via CMPS at $47 a month and worth every penny I would say).

The key to massive success as far as I can tell from all the resources I've read about making money online is that you need to be able to track what advertising and marketing channels are working, and which ones aren't. To maximize profits you need to optimize the winners and cut-off the losing advertising that is costing you money but not making any back.

So far, GCFN hasn't provided the features that allow me to do that. I just have to average over all of my advertising costs. Very frustrating.

Judging by the checks that keep rolling in, SOME of my advertising must be working. But I don't know which parts!! If I did know, believe me, I'd be ramping it up!

Checks Delayed 30 Days?

By the way, according to the GCFN back office, the checks are sent out 30 days after the sale. This makes sense, as they need a delay to be sure the order hasn't been canceled or contested by credit card companies. But this means the successes I've been having occurred 30-days prior to the check being sent. So this latest $951 check was earned from sales made prior to Feb 12.

I have hardly a clue about what I did in Jan/Feb that would have brought in all the sales required to make me $951. Between Jan 1 2008 and Feb 14 2008 I collected 9 prospects in my back office. If each sale was several thousand dollars total and I earn 10%, then $951 represents maybe 2-3 sales. I'm not sure if phone-ins are counted in my back office (and some of my advertising points people to call the phone number with my extension, not go to the website) so there may have been others not listed in my "MyWebCashStore" back office.

The point is, without a tracking system, it is really hard to justify putting massive effort into more advertising. I don't know what kind of return to expect. And therefore remain a bit skeptical about this as a business with "full time" earnings potential. (Is anyone from GCFN taking note of this??)

Anyway, I'll keep you posted. Thanks for submitting comments, it's good to know you are reading this and getting something out of it.

I do plan to put together some tips on how to do better with promoting GCFN (and other things, like ClickBank). But I'm still working at a job that completely drains all my mental energy and haven't gotten around to it yet. Sorry...but I'll be working on it, I promise.

Training I've Received From the CMPS Program

I have to admit, now that I'm about 8 weeks into Mary Gersten's "Certified Media Placement Specialist" (CMPS) program, I honestly feel like I've gotten a lot for my money.

[The money I have in mind here is the ~$600 I've paid for enrolling in CMPS...half of which I should get refunded within a year once I complete the required checklist of activities. I'm still undecided about the thousands I've invested in the GCFN "guaranteed traffic program" which is "guaranteed" to make money or they re-run my traffic campaign. The advertising cost a bundle...but is not subject to a money-back guarantee, just a "make money or we run it again for you again for free" guarantee.]

The courses and eBooks they have sent me have covered a wide range of advertising and marketing (aka "media placement") techniques for both offline and online use.

So, at last, here is a complete list (as of August 28) of the training topics covered as part of the Certified Media Placement Specialist Program so far. I am led to believe other trainings and e-courses will be provided to me in the future as part of the program.

Frankly, I am already overwhelmed by the content they have given me, and haven't had time to review all of it yet!

Topics covered by CMPS Training & Mentoring materials:

1. Affiliate marketing
2. Writing Press Releases and Informative Articles in order to drive traffic to your websites
3. Email List building
4. Building a money-making website
5. Social Web 2.0 Marketing (MySpace course)
6. Google Adwords Pay-Per-Click advertising
7. Making money with Google Adsense
8. Blogging & RSS Feeds for profit
9. Direct mail/postcard marketing techniques
10. Advertising with classified ads (short catchy calls to action)
11. Using Banner Ads
12. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) basics
    

As I put the above list together, even I was amazed at what I've been learning so far.

Nearly every aspect of online marketing and driving traffic to websites is covered in some way. The one notable absence is a tutorial on copywriting, though I am led to believe a course on that will be sent to me at a later stage of my program.

In my next post, I'll list the specific courses and ebooks I've received as a CMPS Student so far.